The Laysan Albatross story continues…A 63 year old Albatross named Wisdom has a baby…

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Is it coincidence that a few days before we even knew about the albatross living in Richard’s neighborhood that we read this story about a 63 year old tagged Laysan Albatross named Wisdom and her mate had hatched another egg?

Whoever gave albatross much thought, let alone found them incorporated into their lives?  We’d heard of them.  We knew they flew across the sea and had white feathers.  But, that was the extent of it.  Until now.

When last year, this story about Wisdom’s chick hit the airwaves and social media we hadn’t spotted it until it popped up again on Facebook a week ago. Tom and I both read the story in awe of this magical bird and only days later Richard told us about the albatross families living in his neighborhood.

We’re always surprised how life is filled with serendipitous moments, however small, from time to time, making us shake our heads and wonder about the mysteries we encounter along the way in our travels, in our lives.

“Wisdom the Laysan albatross is making headlines again. We’ve watched in wonder ever since she hit 60 years old and was still successfully raising chicks. Last year she and her mate raised another chick to fledge, and this year their newest baby has just hatched!
“As the world’s oldest known bird in the wild, Wisdom is an iconic symbol of inspiration and hope for all seabird species,” said Dan Clark, refuge manager for Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, in a news release. “She provides the world valuable information about the longevity of these beautiful creatures. In the case of Wisdom, she has logged literally millions of miles over the Pacific Ocean in her lifetime to find enough fish eggs and squid to feed herself and multiple chicks, allowing us the opportunity to measure the health of our oceans which sustain albatross as well as ourselves.”

Here is the link to the full story about Wisdom and her chick.  

There’s never a moment that we are out and about that we aren’t searching for the next sign of life in nature to warm our hearts and remind us of how delicate and precious life really is and, how fortunate we are to behold its wonders as we continue to travel the world.

Yesterday, we took a road trip and have many photos of our own to share over the next several days. It felt as if we drove to the end of the world.  You’ll see why tomorrow.

Happy Hump Day!

                                           Photo from one year ago today, January 28, 2014:

In our “small things” series in Africa, we were excited to get this close up of a moth through the glass on the veranda door, late one night. For other small things, please click here.

Part 2, a day to remember…Thanks to new friends…The Laysan Albatross story begins…

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Here’s our video of the Laysan Albatross.
 When we lived in Africa, whether on safari in Kenya or in our yard in Marloth Park, each time we had the opportunity to see wildlife, our pulse quickened and a rush of feel good hormones, one of which is dopamine rushed through our bodies.
Looking up to see if her mate is coming back with dinner.

It may be a work of art, an animal, or a stretch of beach that triggers the release of the powerful hormone that makes us feel great. For many, the triggers may be different. For us, seeing wildlife sends us both into a level of joy that is hard to describe which has only escalated these past few years as we’ve traveled the world.

This nesting albatross was the first one we spotted, sleeping on her/his nest. Both the male and female tend to the nest.

When our friend Richard invited us to walk with him in his neighborhood to see the many nesting Laysan Albatross in various neighbor’s yards, upon sighting the first bird, I felt as if someone shot me in the arm. An immediate smile overtook my face, my heart raced with excitement, and for some odd reason  (hum…) I felt as if I was “home” (wherever that may be).

The dark coloration around their eyes varies from bird to bird.

For at least 30 minutes, we wandered from yard to yard, occasionally waving or talking to neighbors who were comfortable seeing us with Richard rather than tourists snooping in their yards. 

Even a hibiscus plant is a good spot to nest.

What our eyes beheld was awe-inspiring; as many as five albatross at one time in various yards throughout the neighborhood, paying little attention to us as we made a special effort to stay far back to avoid disturbing them.

 
These two were hanging around the dense vegetation in the center of the cul-de-sac.

It’s important not to get too close to these seemingly friendly birds. They release a hormone when frightened which may be dangerous to them. Staying as far back as possible is imperative for their good health.

Then, there were three…

Luckily, our camera has an excellent ability to zoom in, making it possible for today’s video and photos.  Our course, the dopamine coursing through my body, made my hands a little unsteady, so I did my best. Usually, I refer to this shakiness as excitement and enthusiasm when in essence, it is dopamine.

Then there were four…

As we walked from house to house, we couldn’t believe how many nesting, dancing, interacting, and sleeping albatross we spotted. If we say that we saw the exquisite birds in no less than a dozen yards, we wouldn’t be exaggerating. 

A loner, nesting close to a house.

I wondered how residents would be able to go about their daily lives when these precious birds were living in their yards. Surely, if it was us, we’d be sitting outside on lawn chairs, at a safe distance, watching their daily interactions with the hope of eventually seeing a hatchling.

This one reminded me of Tom, “Oh, I hate going for a walk!”

Well, we’re the people who sat outside all day in the bush in 90 degrees, bug and snake-infested Africa waiting for the next moving creature. Of course, we’d be equally enthralled with these birds.

So beautiful!

For Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology’s information about the Laysan Albatross including a clip of the sound of the birds, please click here.

Flying is the Laysan Albatross’s forte, not walking which appears awkward.

Again, we thank our friend Richard for bestowing this amazing opportunity upon us. Without his assistance and friendship, we’d never have known about these exquisite birds, only seeing them when they occasionally fly over our heads.

It was surprising how they paid no attention to us walking by, continuing with their adorable antics.
Contemplating their next move under a lemon tree.

Once again, we find reasons to be grateful for perhaps another bit of “safari luck.”

These smaller two may have been siblings, were grooming each other.
Marine Conservation Biologists in Hawaii band the birds in order to maintain an accurate record of as many birds as possible.

Tomorrow, we’ll share a wonderful story of the oldest banded Laysan Albatross. Do check back and have a great day!

Photo from one year ago today, January 27, 2014:

Neither of us had ever seen the Sickle Bush which grows in Africa. We were fascinated by its prickly feel and look, along with its beautiful colors. For more “small things” we found in the bush, please click here.

Part 1…Another day in paradise…Family style…Sightseeing!…More family photos!…

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A fascination with caves always draws my eye across long distances. This photo is similar to a cave photo we took in Madeira when we went whale watching.
Tom and TJ at OnomeaTrail. More family photos will follow in the next few days.

Yesterday morning, the six of us took off on the road to visit several locations; Onomea Trals, Akaka Fall State Park and Honomu Black Sand Beach.

View through the trees at the Onomea Trail.

We decided to stop at the Onomea Trails first, then head to Akaka Falls, ending at the beach. If the sun was shining we could lounge on the sand on our beach towels and watch the surfers in this popular for locals, surfing beach. 

The scenery was amazing as is the case of many areas of the Big Island.

After a few hour drive stopping along the way for the amazing four-mile scenic drive on Onomea Trails, we arrived at Akaka Falls paying the $5 per carload entrance fee, reasonable considering the beauty awaiting us.

This is a beautiful area, well worth the visit.

Here’s some information we found online about Akaka Falls, one of the longest waterfalls in the world at 422 feet, compared to the longest at 612 feet:

“Akaka Falls State Park is a state park on Hawaiʻi Island, in the U.S. state of Hawaii.
The park is about 11 miles (18 km) north from Hilo, west of Honomū off the Hawaii Belt Road (route 19) at the end of Hawaii Route 220, 19°51′15″N 155°9′9″W. It includes ʻAkaka Falls, a 422 feet (129 m) tall waterfall. ʻAkaka in the Hawaiian language means “A rent, split, chink, separation; to crack, split, scale”.[1] The accessible portion of the park lies high on the right shoulder of the deep gorge into which the waterfall plunges, and the falls can be viewed from several points along a loop trail through the park. Also visible from this trail is Kahūnā Falls.

Trail in park, 1959

Local folklore describes a stone here called Pōhaku a Pele that, when struck by a branch oflehua ʻāpane, will call the sky to darken and rain to fall.[2] Lehua ʻāpane or ʻōhiʻa ʻāpane is anʻōhiʻa tree (Metrosideros polymorpha) with dark red blossoms.
ʻAkaka Falls is located on Kolekole Stream. A large stone in the stream about 70 feet (21 m) upstream of the falls is called Pōhaku o Kāloa.“


Wildlife[edit]

The Oopu alamoo is an endemic Hawaiian species of goby fish that spawns in-stream above the waterfall but matures in the sea. These fish have a suction disk on their bellies that allows them to cling to the wet rocks behind and adjacent to the waterfall. Using this disk, they climb back up to the stream when it is time to spawn.”
As we began the .4 mile hike up and down numerous steps, Tom and I found ourselves wrapped up in the exquisite vegetation along the way, his keen eye never missing an unusual plant or flower, many of which we’ll share over the next several days.
A point off the rocks.
Bear with us, we’ll make every effort to name as many of these flowers and plants and trees as possible. For those we are unable to identify, if any of our readers can help, please email me and I’ll add the names to the posts.
Spathodia Campanulata Bignoniaceae
After the glorious visit to the falls and a stop for insect repellent for me (I forgot to bring it), we headed to Honomu Beach, known for attracting local surfers. We had to maneuver over a lengthy mass of uneven boulders in order to get to the beach. 
Palm trees growing new leaves.
Turning an ankle was a definite possibility. Luckily, we all made it both up and back without an incident. We stayed for about an hour and then headed home to relax for a bit, freshen up and head to a local Chinese restaurant for dinner.
Waterfall on the trail.
The dinner was disappointing, the food fatty, over-salted and less tasty than we’ve had in other such restaurants. They were very kind in accommodating my way of eating, steaming, not frying my over-salted food.
Bamboo trees.
We won’t return to the Number One Chinese Barbecue in Pahoa, not so number one after all. Then again, it was the only Chinese Barbecue in the area. The service was good and for a quick carry out, it might be acceptable.
A billy goat we spotted on our long drive!
Over the past two days, we’ve spotted whales from our yard, twice yesterday, morning, and again before we headed out to dinner shortly before dark. More whale photos coming soon.
Sarah, Jayden, Nik and TJ at Akaka Falls.

Enjoy our photos as we continue to enjoy daily life with family on the Big Island. As for the lava flow, in the next few days, a viewing area will be opened and we’ll be there as soon as it does.

Tomorrow, Akaka Falls State Park photos and whales!

                                           Photo from one year ago today, December 9, 2013:
After our first sunset game drive in Kruger National Park, seeing very little wildlife on that particular occasion, we went to our first Bush Braai, hosted by Louise and Dani, our fabulous hosts during our three-month stay in South Africa. (The humidity was so high the camera lens was spotted which I failed to notice). Guards with rifles surrounded the perimeter to protect us as we dined on lovely food with gorgeous place settings. This was our first Bush Braai and I kept using my little flashlight checking for scorpions. After our fourth Bush Braai, I finally stopped looking. Oh, how we adapt in time. For more details, please click here.

Family has arrived…Absolutely wonderful!…Whale watching at home!…

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Our first whale in Hawaii, spotted by our grandson Jayden, 9. Good eye, Jayden. And Nik, 14 spotted the first sea turtles. Guess “safari luck” is hereditary.

At 6:00 am this morning we heard the animated sound of Jayden’s voice outside. Looking out the window, we saw our four family members outside on the patio staring out the sea, squealing with delight.

Last night’s moon rising over the sea.

Tom bolted out of bed to join them, only moments later hollering upstairs to me as I brushed my teeth, to hurry and get outside. In a matter of seconds, he handed me the camera as I stood on the lanai anxious to grab a good shot of a whale they spotted breaching the surface, the steamy blow hole presenting an awe-inspiring spray.

Last night’s moon high in the sky.

My heart leaped with excitement. Unfortunately, by the time I got outside, I’d missed a good shot but Sarah had the photo we’ve included today using her smartphone.

This morning’s sunrise.

I guess from now on, we’ll be up at 6:00 am looking for the spray of the whales, hoping to get more photos. We lined up six chairs on the patio facing the sea where we’ll all sit throughout the day looking for whales, turtles (which we spotted), and later basking in the sun.

A coastline view from our drive along the Red Road.

In 17 hours since they’ve arrived, they’ve seen the moonrise, sea turtles, a whale, and oddly, a hitchhiker which none of us had seen in quite a while. 

The moon early this morning.

After a great taco dinner, last night with a fresh batch made again tonight for dinner, we spent hours laughing and enjoying many of our photos of wildlife taken over the past 26 months since we left Minnesota.

Angel Trumpet flowers, the first we’ve seen in Hawaii.  We’d seen these on the island of Madeira, many months ago. Cheryl, one of our readers, wrote to inform us that these flowers are toxic. Stay clear…for looking only!

Honestly, it’s like never a day had passed since we’ve seen each other. Instantly, we fell in step, all talking at the same time, laughing and smiling as wide as the face will allow.

Bougainvillea on the Big Island.

This morning, they’ll watch the Minnesota Vikings game on the computer or if we can get it going, using our portable projector. In any case, it will be a great day, as it will be every day as this exciting month has begun. 

Chicken that wanders our neighborhood.

Enjoy our photos of the moon from last night and our solitary whale photo. But, without a doubt, more of each will follow. By the way, people photos will be posted tomorrow. 

Happy Sunday. It surely will be here.

                                            Photo from one year ago today, December 7, 2013:
No photos were posted one year ago today, as we wrote about the death of Nelson Mandela which transpired while we were living in South Africa. For details of that post, please click here.

Yesterday, we got close to the lava flow with photos of the smoke!…An accidental scenic road trip with photos tomorrow…

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Looking closely in this photo, there are two National Guards with rifles manning the access to the lava flow, preventing curiosity seekers from nearing the flow. As we slowed to take this photo, they waved at us to get moving along.

Yesterday morning, we headed to the Pahoa Community Pool to check it out for our family’s arrival. We’d heard it was a huge, clean, and lifeguarded pool available to residents at no charge. 

As is the case around the Hawaiian Islands not all streets are marked. Although we had good directions on my phone, there were of little use when there are no road signs. Somehow, we managed to find the community pool. 

Further down this road, which is Apaa St., the road is closed after the lava had crossed the road weeks ago. Click this link for details and photos.

However, during our bit of wandering around the area, we saw the road that was closed off for the lava flow and the National Guards maintaining watch to avoid curiosity seekers from entering the dangerous area. Much to our delight we were able to take these photos included today of the area that we found most interesting including the smoke in the sky from the lava, once we arrived at the Pahoa Community Center to check out the pool.

Inset of a civil defense map posted on Dec. 4. The yellow dot is the location of the distal tip of the active flow front.
Yesterday, we were at the Pahoa Community Center as shown on this map. We were able to see the smoke in the sky from the flow. In the next few days the city plans to allow visitors to see the lava from the Pahoa Transfer Station also shown on this map.

We copied the above map this morning of the ongoing progress of the lava flow. Here’s a link to more information from the Hawaii County Civil Defense.

After checking out the pool (we weren’t allowed to take photos to protect the privacy of the few swimmers in the pool), we began the drive to Hilo to the Safeway store to buy groceries for our four family members arriving tomorrow. 

Numerous power poles located in the path of the lava flow have been covered in fire retardant materials to prevent the flow from destroying the power to the area which has worked.

Along the way, Tom spotted what looked like an interesting road which proved to be one of the most scenic roads on Big Island, the Red Road, Route 137. Go figure, how we ended up on that road. We couldn’t stop oohing and aahing along the way, stopping frequently to take photos which we’ll post tomorrow.

Here’s a link to the Red Road scenic drive.

The house in the background could easily fall prey to the lava should it continue on this path.

After the amazing drive we found our way to Hilo without a map considering that its almost hard to get lost if one follows the coastline on an island. Of course, we always have our personal navigator on board, Tom Lyman, Mr. Sense of Direction, who hardly ever disappoints.

The Pahoa Community Pool.  No photos were allowed inside so we shot this exterior photo.  The pool is huge and will provide hours of fun for our family.

The grocery store was a two hour, two cart, confusing ordeal. Buying foods others eat so different from our usual purchases, plus buying food for us, was quite a challenge. But I stayed “over bubbly” and much to my delight Tom wasn’t his usual “overly grumpy” while in a grocery store. He did well, stayed cheerful and we actually had a good time.

Behind this downed area of vegetation, lays the lava flow.  Soon, we hope to see the actual flow when an area is opened to the public at the Pahoa Transfer Station.

He brought everything inside when we returned “home” and I insisted on putting everything away. It didn’t appear there would be room for it all but, I managed to make space for everything in the small pantry and average sized refrigerator.

The smoke in the air from the lava flow.  We could smell it as we stood in the parking lot of the Community Center.

Once Tom and I move over to the house next door, we’ll be moving over the foods we usually eat making room for the foods in this house for the other two of our families. It will all work out, one way or another.

I haven’t decided yet if I’ll join Tom on the two hour drive to the Kona airport to pick up family tomorrow afternoon. I just may stay behind and prepare dinner, having it ready when they arrive.

There was a reddish tint closer to the ground as shown in his photo.  During this period the sky was otherwise relatively clear.

We’re waiting for the sun to peek through which looks hopeful after several days of clouds and rain. An hour of sunshine would serve us well.

Have a fabulous Friday!
                                        Photo from one year ago today, December 5, 2013:

When Okee Dokee drove us to the grocery store in Komatipoort, we marveled at the wildlife in our neighborhood in the bush. A sight such as this was to be found daily.  For details from that date, please click here.

Remembrances of the ocean awhile ago…The seafarers life awhile ago…One year ago today…We gave away 40% of our clothing and shoes…

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Whale ship masthead rings that held the sailors to the mast.

Its funny how as time marches on, many memories flooding our minds have become some of the most treasured experiences in our travels.  Now, into our third year on the move, Belize, our first vacation home outside the US lingers in our minds for our close proximity to the ocean.


Whale blubber pot.

Early this morning I stared out the glass door to the sea feeling that same warm sense of comfort familiar from so long ago with the ocean at our door beaconing thought provoking gazes at the sea at every opportunity.


Blubber hook. 

The sea has held a mysterious attraction for sailors and land lovers alike since the beginning of time.  On Monday, as we wanders through the Whalers Village Museum the passion for the sea was evident in every artifact, painting and representation of sea life. 


Tools used in whaling.

Whaling was big business in centuries passed.  In today’s world and particularly in Hawaii, the love and the preservation of the life of whales is a profound aspect for oceanic devotees and the scientific community.


Replica of small whaling boat.

Although the museum depicted the long ago whaling business, it was evident that today’s profound sense and love of the whale and other marine life is in the forefront of the hearts and minds of the people of Hawaii.


Pilot whale blubber.

While at the museum we watched an amazing movie learning about the humpback whale, much of which neither of us had any awareness.  Many of these facts are depicted in the following site.


Scrimshaw, which is the use of bones and teeth of whales and other marine mammals, was commonly made into a variety of items the sailors later sold at port for additional income.  Also, there were many boring hours at sea and making scrimshow kept them busy.



Scrimshaw picture frame.

Please click this link to find an audio file of the actual sounds of the humpback whale.


Equipment used in making various artifacts.

The humpback whales come to the Hawaiian Islands and also to Maui in December on their long journey from Alaska.  We’re are only weeks away from their arrival, although we’ve heard a few have been sighted.  We’ve spent many hours gazing at the sea hoping to spot them.


Sleeping quarters of whaling boat from early 1900’s.



In getting close to these bunks, we could see how small they actually were, as short as five feet long and two feet wide, certainly inadequate sleeping space in today’s world.

The prevalence of the humpback whale is much greater in Maui than on the Big Island so we’re hoping to see them before we leave in five days. At the moment we’re awaiting a confirmation on what may prove to be a pointless expedition out to sea in hopes of spotting whales.  We’ll certainly post updates here in the next few days.  If “safari luck” prevails, we may have whale photos to share on Sunday.


Ship octant and charting tool.

Today, we share our photos of some of the memorabilia from the much maligned days of whaling in an era when extinction wasn’t given a thought.  Sadly, whaling continues in many parts of the world with little regard for the likelihood of extinction of the whale, perhaps in the lifetime of this generation.


Sailors would make this decorative canes from whale bones selling them in port to supplement their income.



A fiddle kept on the ships for entertainment for the sailors

We’ll be back tomorrow with more new photos and an update on our possible whale watching outing.


Rigger tools.

Have a lovely pre-Thanksgiving day.  In my old life, today was the day I’d make eight to ten pumpkin pies rolling the made-from-scratch dough for the crust of each pie. 


Actual photo of seamen on a whaling boat.



This interesting chart depicts the income earned for various positions aboard ship after a four year period at sea. 

Each of our families or friends that came for Thanksgiving dinner was given a pie to take home along with containers of leftovers.  I don’t miss making the pies but, perhaps, the eating them was worthy of mention.
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Photo from one year ago today, November 26, 2013:

One year ago today, we completed boxing up 40% of our clothing and shoes to give away when we’d accepted the fact that further lightening our load was imperative to avoid continuing excess baggage fees.  More photos of the clothing we gave away are shown in this link.  Please click here.

The beauty of Maui continues in our photos…Sea turtles…

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A stop along the highway for a breathtaking view.

As we explore in Maui, we continue to be in awe of its natural beauty and how local businesses and points of interest, incorporate their love of Hawaii’s natural elements to become a part of the message they convey in their offerings.

This quaint coconut shop is an example of the simple pleasures in the Hawaiian Islands and love for vegetation.

Whether its a farm stand, a restaurant, a golf course, or a tourist attraction, the influence of the islands is grasped as a devotion to the way of life, the exquisite vegetation, the surrounding oceanic water and its treasures, its weather patterns, its volcanoes, and its lava rock foundation.

Through the limited explorations, we made driving throughout our area, we find ourselves drawn to these natural elements as opposed to the typical often crowded tourist attractions.

A worker at the coconut shop uses a machete type blade to open the coconut, selling them with a straw for drinking the milk and later enjoying the meat.

Our intent in Maui has been to relax from months of traveling while immersing ourselves in the local beauty surrounding us. It’s been easy to do both.

Yesterday afternoon, we wandered along the shoreline in the afternoon to spot no less than a dozen sea turtles their flippers wildly flailing and noses popping above the water for a breath of air. 

An old vehicle we spotted at the coconut stand along the highway after our visit to the plantation.

Here’s a link to surprising sea turtle facts including that sea turtles were land animals millions of years ago and have since adapted to life in the sea. The shell is called a carapace and the underside of a sea turtle is called the plastron.

Sea turtles don’t suffer ill effects when diving deep into the ocean and depending on their species can stay underwater from one to five hours without coming up for a breath of fresh air.

Yesterday’s sea turtle sighting, barely rising enough above the surface for a decent photo. For a video and more sea turtles photos, please see our link from November 6th here.

It was only a few days ago that we wondered how marine life survives drinking saltwater only to find the above link that explains that seas turtles have “salt glands” close to their eyes that filter out the salt from their bodies. 

Each living plant and creature serves a purpose in our environment including every aspect of their structure. It’s especially fascinating to live in an area in which we can observe some of these aspects in the natural habitat of Hawaii.

We’ve seen these red berries on several trees to discover they are Foxtail Palm Trees.

In our future travels, we’ll visit many other islands as in our upcoming extended stays in both Fiji and Bali where we’ll find the natural environment equally interesting and fulfilling as we’ve found in Hawaii.

As our time winds down in Maui, we anticipate the Big Island not only for the glorious time we’ll surely spend with our family but also, in the opportunity to share our love of nature with those we love. We’re all excited to see the lava flow…hopefully, not too close to where we’ll be living.

This photo illustrates the Foxtail Palm Tree seeds when unripe, green as shown on the left, later turning the ripe bright red.

We continue to share more of our new photos of Maui in our remaining time on this island.

Have a wonderful weekend!

                                           Photo from one year ago today, November 22, 2013:
As we prepared to leave Diani Beach, Kenya, one year ago, we didn’t post any photos on this date. Please click here for the story.

High in the trees…Observing an unusual task…Life among the palms…

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 Video #1, coconut tree trimming.
Video #2, coconut tree trimming.
Each of the three workers climbed the trees at different speeds. At this point they were on the ocean side of the property.

Living in a tropical climate not only offers amazing weather, ocean views, unusual and exquisite vegetation and a smattering of wildlife, it has processes that are less familiar to those of us from more seasonal locations.

Nearing the top of a tree in the parking lot.

If its bananas or coconuts are growing in the yard, enormous sea turtles are swimming at the shore at high tides or whales are breaching out to sea, it’s the scenery that we travelers find interesting and somewhat unusual.

A few days ago, three muscular looking men appeared on the property after we’d received a notice attached to the door asking we move our car far from our assigned parking spot, away from the coconut trees to allow for coconut tree trimming.

Another view in the parking lot.

Apparently, some neighbors had complained that the coconut palms had grown full and were blocking the views of the ocean. With whale watching season fast approaching (some have been sighted) it wasn’t hard to understand the frustration of those neighbors on the upper floors who’s view may have been impeded to a degree.

As much as citizens and tourists from Hawaii appreciate the vegetation, their passion for dolphin and whale watching far exceeds their interest in large palm fronds.

They had a special apparatus on their feet that were instrumental in climbing the trees.

Since our condo is on the first floor, we’ve had no such issue. Also, of late, we’ve spent considerable time outdoors with camera and binoculars in hand ready for any sightings. The three guys immediately got to work shimmying up the 100-foot coconut trees in the parking area, later moving to the ocean side of the property.

If unsuccessful in our quest to see whales in Maui, we’ll certainly take it up again on the Big Island when we arrive in a mere 10 days. There are perfect spots on the lanai of each of the two houses to peer out at the sea for hours.

Let me add something here. We are not condo dwellers by nature. We love quiet and privacy. In Hawaii, housing costs are so high, we had no alternative but to spend 11 nights in Honolulu, 45 nights in Maui, and 120 nights in Kauai, living in condos, as opposed to single-family homes. 

At the top of a very tall tree, this worker’s equipment is more easily visible. They each carried a collapsible bucket for collecting the smaller pieces, letting the big branches fall to the ground.

Upcoming on the Big Island, we’ve rented two single-family houses to accommodate the space requirements for our family at a considerably higher cost than any of these other condos. To rent single-family homes in Hawaii is upwards of $400 a night and much more. (We’ll share our actual costs for the Big Island in later posts).

Anyway, back to the three guys shimmying up the 100-foot coconut tree. Running outside with the camera as they worked in the parking lot, I was amazed at the equipment and ease with which they maneuvered their way up the trees as well as the ease they exhibited when using their machetes to hack the heavy palm fronds to the ground.

The larger palms fell to the ground as they whacked at them with machetes. In the lower portion of this photo, you can see the tops of the windmills atop a hill at a distance. I was standing perpendicular to the ocean when taking this photo.

Their caution and skill were evidenced in their quick and fluid movements and the confidence in which they made their way from tree to tree throughout the property.

In less than four hours, their task was completed, the pristine carpet-like grass was cleared of all debris and off they went to their next job, safe and unharmed, confident, and proud of their good work.

Another closeup view or a trimmer atop a coconut tree.

Of course, we couldn’t resist taking photos and a few videos which we’ve included here today. I apologize for the jittery nature on the longer video when a cluster of biting flies attacked me and the camera. I had to swat them away making the camera move.

I’ve finally finished all of the revisions leaving a few that I was unable to edit due to the excess number of photos which always has an effect on editing. In addition, posting during poor WiFi connections in various countries affected the quality of many of the posts. 

Apparently, removing the bulk of the branches didn’t prevent the tree from continuing to grow coconuts and more fronds.

Someday, if I feel ambitious, I may go back and entirely rewrite those posts. But, for those new readers, we wanted to leave them in place until such a time may arise. 

My latest project is cleaning up my thousands of emails still sitting in my inbox. I always attend to new email messages as they arrive, deleting those I no longer need. 

It was fun to watch them palms falling to the ground, although we stood far enough away.

There are literally hundreds of email messages relative to future travel that need to be placed into appropriate folders, many of which I’ve yet to create. This is a task I don’t enjoy, as compared to redoing the old posts which made me smile during the five hours I spent each day for many weeks. 

Once this final task is completed, hopefully by the time we leave Maui, I’ll feel organized enough to begin planning the grocery lists and meals for our upcoming family get together, in itself a daunting task.

These bananas are growing in the yard at waist level.

See, I’m not as organized as one may think. My underwear drawer is messy. My clothing suitcase is not packed in a tidy manner. My single handbag, used only on travel days, is a convoluted mess of this and that. Then again, I set a lovely table, keep the refrigerator clean and pick up after myself regularly. 

Let’s face it, we all have our “weirdnesses” (sic) and I’m certainly no exception. Ask Tom.

                                          Photo from one year ago today, November 21, 2013:

Gucci and Jessie (with the tongue sticking out) were Hans and Jeri’s dogs in Kenya. They visited us almost every day. For a period of time, we happily looked after them when Hans and Jeri went away for several days. We had one laugh after another and became quite attached. As the time neared, again to depart on December 1st, we said our goodbyes to these sweet two dogs. For details, please click here.

Further reducing the checked baggage load…Sightseeing in Maui…A wonderful afternoon…

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Tom got a kick out of this old Ford “woody” that was on display at the Maui Tropical Plantation.

On Saturday, while at Costco, we purchased a 23″ semi hard-sided, lightweight expandable piece of luggage.  With the hope of further reducing the number of checked bags to three instead of four.

Tom at the entrance to the General Store on the premises.

Doing so reduces the extra $35 cost on three more flights in the Hawaiian Island; one, to the Big Island; another to Kauai; the third back to Honolulu for the cruise to Australia in May. 

Complimentary Hawaiian coffee was served in a shop.

With a combined savings of $105 and the price, we paid for the bag at $72, more than pays for itself while in Hawaii, and more on future flights throughout the world.

Our new 23″ lightweight bag that allowed us to dispose of two smaller bags.

Besides, the two smaller orange wheeling bags had begun to show serious signs of wear and tear, especially when the zippers had become corroded due to the humidity in Kenya over a year ago

The main building and entrance to the Maui Tropical Plantation.

We choose the blue color for easy spotting and the semi-hard sided for hopefully a little less wear and tear.  Yet at $72, who’s going to complain if it only lasts a year or two, as have all of our bags, now handling and weather-beaten? Not us.

This handmade log house was located by the entrance to the main building at the Maui Tropical Plantation.

We’ve come to the conclusion that the quality of luggage has a lot less of an effect on its ability to last for long periods, than the number of times it goes through typical baggage handling at airports and on cruises. Replacing bags from time to time doesn’t concern us a bit, especially when we can always find something durable enough to last for a while.

A display of antique hand-cranked coffee grinders.

Once we returned home from Costco on Saturday, I was anxious to empty the two smaller bags to see if the new 23″ bag would in fact hold their entire contents. With the careful arrangement, it was a breeze. 

A handmade cruise ship was on display.  The cruise ship industry has a substantial effect on the economy of Hawaii when thousands of tourists flock to its various attractions.

The next step was to determine its weight using our portable scale. At 45 pounds,  we were pleased knowing we won’t be charged for overweight baggage when most airlines accept 50 pounds, some 60.

An old fashioned coffee mill.

This leaves us with three bags, each weighing under 50 pounds, plus one duffel bag, one laptop bag, my handbag, and the pill bag as carry-on luggage. We can easily manage these without an airport cart, especially since we still have the luggage cart that will easily handle the new 23″ bag and all the carryon luggage, while one of us wheels the two large bags. 

A smaller version of a modern coffee mill.

When we start packing again in 12 days, I imagine at this point, we can be done in less than 30 minutes. Yeah!

The shelves were lined with locally made food products.

Yesterday at noon, with daily tasks and time outdoors under our belts we hopped in the car and took off for the Maui Tropical Plantation.  

After leaving the shop, we wandered into the grounds, excited to see the various farm animals and vegetation.

With our extra tight budget in place for the upcoming family visit, we’ve hesitated to pay for sightseeing and are excited to have a few events planned that don’t require expensive entrance fees and tour charges. 

Although the fall season is less noticeable in Hawaii by changing colors of vegetation, there were plants that had changed to typical fall colors.

We didn’t see entrance fees posted on their website and were expecting a $20 per person entrance fee which would have been in the budget.

A shaded building for viewing the expanse of the plantation.

Much to our surprise, there was no fee for entrance to the exquisite plantation. Instead, there were several lovely shops with locally made merchandise as an inducement for visitors to shop, shop, shop.

We stopped to watch the glassblower at work.

Had we been candidates for shopping, I could easily have gone nuts since there were many beautiful items on display in each of the venues. Although not disappointed that we’re unable to shop (Tom especially), we enjoyed wandering through the shops savoring their tempting displays ranging from local nuts, candies, and coffee to housewares, jewelry, homemade soaps, and locally made garments.

There were numerous pools throughout the plantation.

On a few occasions, I found myself checking prices and touching a few items noticing the fine quality and ingenuity. I still wasn’t tempted to make any purchases instead, content with our lighter load of bags.

Another symmetrical Bird of Paradise.

Then, we wandered throughout the unique and varied grounds of the plantation, spotting numerous photo-worthy scenarios many of which we’ll share over the next few days. With Tom’s good sense of direction, we never missed a single area of the grounds available to exploration.

Here is a map of the plantation:

Easy-to-print map HERE.
We borrowed this map from the Maui Tropical Plantation’s website.

With mixed reviews online at cruisecritic.com after some cruise passengers claimed that visiting the plantation was “underwhelming,” we could understand their comments as less than five stars when they paid upwards of $89 per person for the bus ride, the tour, and a light lunch arranged through the ship’s excursions.

Gears for the sugar cane plantation.

For us, driving on our own, wandering at our own pace, and with no interest in dining on the premises, it was easy to give it a good rating if not an excellent rating, especially for the tourists with several children or a group desiring a low-cost outing. The Maui Tropical Plantation appeals to all ages.

Hand-carved whale tail.

In addition, for adventure seekers, the largest zip line facility is located on the property. We saw several 20 something’s (all male) gearing up for the zip line. With our bad right shoulders, we realized long ago that ziplining is not for us or, for that matter, for seniors  (or others) with any mobility or medical concerns.

The artist was on the premises explaining various pieces to the shoppers.

Of course, a huge attraction for this amateur photographer was the ducks, geese, and especially the chicken which, for some odd reason, I’m always attracted to. Go figure. 

We loved this sea turtle.

Enough “words” for today. Sit back and enjoy our photos knowing that we thoroughly enjoyed every step along the way at the Maui Tropical Plantation, a simple but delightful experience

Please stop back tomorrow for more plantation photos with some close-ups of farm animal shots.

                                           Photo from one year ago today, November 18, 2013:

We’ve made an effort to watch a movie made purposely for the country or continent we’re visiting at any time as was the case, one year ago on this date, that we posted photos and a story of watching the movie, “Out of Africa.” With many more months in Hawaii, we’ve yet to watch a movie but we surely will when we get to Kauai. For details from that date one year ago, please click here.

Wonders in the sea…Video….Delicious low carb fudge recipe after several requests…

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Here’s our video of sea turtles swimming near the shore outside our condo in
Maalaea Beach, Maui.


On Tuesday, we spotted a number of people standing on the shore with cameras and cell phones in hand taking photos.  Curious, of course, and hoping they’d seen whales soon to arrive in the Hawaiian Islands, we dashed out the door with camera in hand.

Hard to see, we were still excited.

Slightly disappointed there were no whales, our enthusiasm was revived when we saw sea turtles, many sea turtles, swimming near the shore.  What a sight to behold. 


Looking carefully, one can see the outline of a sea turtle.  They are huge, much larger than we’d expected.

Wildlife fanatics that we are, I couldn’t wait to get a few decent shots. However, they move so quickly it wasn’t as simple as clicking away for a couple of good shots.  Tom spotted for me while I fervently attempted to get at least one decent video and a few good photos. 


We could only see their shells or an occasional flapper popping above the water.

We wish our photos could have been more clear.  One would have to have been on a boat or in the water to get good shots.  Please bear with us for our well intentioned but somewhat feeble attempts.


The water was shallow here when the turtles came close to the shore.  It was high tide.

We’ll hope you’ll stop by for more tomorrow.  Have a wonderful day!


Lava rock from lava flowing to the sea.  How familiar.

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Yesterday, after mentioning our low carb fudge recipe, we’ve had several email requests for the recipe, including one request by a comment.  As a result, I’ve put together the recipe and have posted it at the bottom of today’s post.  Feel free to copy and paste it to any format you prefer. 

I realize many people are adamantly opposed to the use of Splenda (sucralose) or any other artificial sweeteners.  I understand your concern.  But, some people cannot have real sugar and don’t care for the taste of Stevia and other sweeteners, myself included.

Some have serious health concerns grossly effected by consuming real sugar, again myself included.  There are no valid studies confirming that sucralose is dangerous, including reports from the Mayo Clinic.  Although, there are 1000’s of internet pages devoted to the dangers of sucralose. 

There is a small faction of the population that is sensitive to artificial sweeteners in any form.  Obviously, I don’t suggest they try this recipe or any other recipes that anyone may post using artificial sweeteners.

However, there is a faction of us, that sacrifice many enjoyable foods and snacks for health reasons and an occasional treat such as this is definitely uplifting and pleasurable, especially when they suffer no ill effects from doing so.

Most of us enjoy the taste of sweetness, one of the many causes of rampant obesity and diabetes worldwide.  Please see your physician with questions as the appropriateness of artificial sweeteners in your diet.  If you have an aversion to sugar substitutes, please don’t try this recipe.  Thank you kindly for your understanding.

Jess’s Low Carb Fudge Recipe
(to be enjoyed in moderation – no more than four pieces per day)

(Using parchment paper is a must).
1 cup butter
8 oz. unsweetened chocolate (Bakers is fine), broken into 1” cubes
3 cups powdered Splenda for baking (or 80 drops of liquid sucralose which I use) or equivalent of other sugar substitutes
4 tsp. real vanilla extract
4 – 8 oz. packages full fat cream cheese (not light or low fat), cut into chunks, softened for one hour on counter
1 cup chopped nuts (may be omitted if desired) 

Butter cake pan (9×13) then place a piece of buttered parchment paper on top of the buttered pan for parchment paper to stick to the bottom of the pan. 
Melt butter on low heat in large saucepan.  (Don’t brown butter).  When completely melted, add chunks of cream cheese, stirring constantly until all are melted.  Don’t turn up heat, just keep stirring.  They will melt in about 10 minutes.  

Once the chocolate is melted remove pan from burner and add Splenda and vanilla, continuing to stir until smooth. Add nuts after smooth, if desired.
Pour mixture into the buttered, parchment lined pan.  Smooth with spatula for an even layer.  Place pan in freezer for three hours.

Remove from freezer and cut into 1” cubes.  This batch makes 80 cubes.  Place in plastic containers with lids, separating layers with parchment paper.  Keep frozen, taking out desired amount as needed.  Serve immediately.

Each piece has 80 calories and 1.4 carbs.          

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Photo from one year ago today, November 6, 2013:

The post a year ago was regarding health concerns for travelers of any age that we gleaned for considerable research and a modicum of experience.  For details on that post, please click here.